Anne M. Lykkegaard

Journalist

Like many others with an office at CBS, Associate Professor Carsten Humlebæk has a huge blackboard with colorful, children’s drawings and pictures of his family. But the story behind the drawings and pictures is a little different than most.

Carsten Humlebæk's best tips for Seville

If you want an insider’s tips for the best spots, dining places and activities in Seville, scroll to the bottom of the page and find Carsten Humlebæk’s list of favorite places.

Carsten Humlebæk shows me some of the first drawings his four-and-a-half-year-old son did back in 2014 during his first days at the Sevillian school in 2014. Carsten Humlebæk deciphers the letters on one of the pages, and the Spanish word, ‘taza’ appears from the childish writing. The word sits next to a drawing of a cup.

Carsten Humlebæk and his family moved to Seville in southern Spain in August 2014. But eight months ago, Carsten Humlebæk had to return to Denmark and to CBS, to conduct lectures, exams and help students with their projects. This means he commutes back and forth between Seville and Frederiksberg.

“It was a mutual dream to live in Spain. I’ve lived in Italy with my wife, and we wanted to share the experience of living in another country and learn a foreign language with our children. From deciding we wanted to do it to actually moving there took three years,” Carsten Humlebæk explains.

The blackboard gives Carsten Humlebæk a touch of home in his office at Dalgas Have. (Photo: Mette Koors)When Carsten is back in Denmark working, he can stay at his office till late without a bad conscious. (Photo: Anne M. Lykkegaard & Mette Koors)

By a stroke of luck

Back in 2011, Carsten Humlebæk worked at the Department of International Business Communication and applied for the two-year Marie Curie program. This program allows researchers to go to another country in or outside Europe to conduct research and covers wages and other expenses.

At that point, the family was ready to move from their house on the island Møn to Seville, which was where Carsten Humlebæk really wanted to live. But the application wasn’t accepted the first time round. Nor did it go through the second time he applied. In 2013, Carsten Humlebæk’s project (check fact box) was finally chosen among 600 other projects ranging from philosophy to nuclear physics. The possibility to get chosen for the program is roughly 15 percent, according to Carsten Humlebæk.

Carsten Humlebæk's area of research

Carsten Humlebæk specializes in Spanish nationalism, focusing on the way in which nationalist discourses have changed over the past decades.

During his period of research at Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Carsten explored how five different regions in Spain differ from each other when it comes to national and regional affiliations. People from Catalonia have a strong regional affiliation; some of them are even separatists and want to form an independent state. Carsten Humlebæk’s project contributes something new to the field by comparing the development in Catalonia with that of the four other Spanish regions.

So far, his research shows that differences between the regions do exist. Especially in the regions of Valencia and Catalonia, which have entirely different views on what it means to be Spanish.

The project has produced vast amounts of empirical material, which needs to be analyzed. So Carsten’s research will continue for years to come.

“Before moving there, we went to Seville on a trip, and by a stroke of luck we found a suitable house and school for the kids,” says Carsten Humlebæk and smiles.

But it wasn’t all that easy. The family had some issues buying the house and therefore had to live in a rented apartment, only furnished with the most important things they bought from IKEA.

“I think you could say that we made things a lot more difficult for ourselves. We could easily have found a furnished apartment, but we wanted to have a house and got half of our stuff transported from Denmark to Seville. This was not just a getaway thing, but a dream we wanted to follow and live out,” Carsten Humlebæk says.

Don’t worry about the kids

But even with three years ahead of them in a new country, the Humlebæk family didn’t prepare in terms of learning the language. Only Carsten spoke Spanish fluently.

“Our only language preparation was a CD with some Spanish lessons. So when we arrived the kids only knew the colors in Spanish. That was about it. We didn’t really think that much ahead, but took everything step by step,” says Kristine Birkedal, Carsten Humlebæk’s wife via Skype from their house in the heart of Seville.

Carsten Humlebæk and Kristine Birkedal have three kids. When they moved to Spain, they were nine, six and four-and-a-half years old. Carmen, the eldest, was already in the second grade in a Danish school, and the two youngest would soon have to start school because children start school at the age of four in Spain.

The family Humlebæk consists not only of Carsten, Kristine and their three kids. In the house in Seville they have three dogs, two cats, two lovebirds and a four-month-old parrot. (Photo: Private)Esmeralda (left) and Carmen (right) enjoy being in Seville, but they both know it will come to an end. Esmeralda doesn't mind going back home to Denmark, though - as long as she doesn't have to go to school. (Photo: Private)

“We worried whether the children would settle down at their new school and in Seville. But within two days our worries were put to rest. They were just so happy about going to school and quickly made new friends. Of course, Hugo, who was only four-and-a-half years old at the time, had a few issues,” says Carsten Humlebæk and continues:

“He almost didn’t speak at school for six months, and it took a little while for him to get accustomed to the warm meals at lunch with vegetables, meat and other ‘weird’ stuff. But those problems soon passed,” Carsten Humlebæk assures and says that Hugo looks forward to going to school every morning, so he can hang out with his ‘amigos’.

Now, almost three years later, the children speak Spanish fluently. At home, the everyday lingo around the dinner table is a random mix of Spanish and Danish.

Living in Spain has given us unique opportunities as a family and individually. It's also given us more time.

Carsten Humlebæk

“Hugo mostly speaks Spanish, and I catch myself speaking Danish and then saying words in Spanish and the other way around. To others, this might seem very confusing, but we don’t notice at all,” says Carsten Humlebæk.

He points out that the kids have been the least of their worries. Looking back, they should have been more concerned about Kristine Birkedal’s situation.

Stranded in Seville

Before moving to Seville, Kristine Birkedal was completing her degree in occupational therapy; she only had one year left when they moved. This meant that she had to travel a lot back and forth between Seville and Denmark to take classes, do group work and participate in internships.

Finally, in the summer of 2015, when Kristine Birkedal had finished her degree, she was able to quit the long commute between Denmark and Spain. But that was when some of the real worries began.

“It was a relief to finally move to Seville and be with my family. But then I realized I couldn’t make use of my Danish degree in Spain, so what was I going to do?” Kristine Birkedal asks and continues:

“Luckily, after some time, I found a master’s degree in art therapy, which complemented my Danish education. So I have found my own reason to be in Seville, which has not only made me happier about living here; it has made me feel that I contribute to the family, and I fulfill my own ambitions. It’s not enough that the kids are all right,” she reflects.

Both Carsten Humlebæk and Kristine Birkedal agree that combining a research career with your partner’s life can be challenging, but it’s worth it when it works out.

“I might have had better chances finding a job if I’d stayed in Denmark after finishing my degree. But then I wouldn’t have experienced living in Seville with my family, learning Spanish, and getting my degree in art therapy,” Kristine Birkedal says.

Kristine Birkedal and Carsten Humlebæk's advice to others who plan to move country with their family

1: “It’s important to ensure that your partner has a reason for moving as well. Make sure that you check out the job and educational opportunities that would be attractive for your partner in the given region. I cannot stress this enough. Looking back, we should have looked into this much more carefully before we moved,” says Carsten Humlebæk.

2: “The idea of moving the family to another country should be inspiring and educational for everyone in the family.”

3: “A lot of unexpected things will occur along the way. You cannot plan everything, but it’s a good idea to think about the unexpected and at least try to make a plan.”

An easy-going city life

In the summer of 2016, Carsten Humlebæk’s research project at Universidad Pablo de Olavide in Seville ended, and he had to go back to CBS to work. Since the family has rented out their own house for three years, Carsten Humlebæk rents a room in a friend’s house when he’s in Denmark. He travels back to Seville for long weekends and when he doesn’t have teaching or exam obligations at CBS for longer periods of time. And he is going to do this for one more year.

Kristine Birkedal wants to finish her two-year art therapy degree. And that’s all right with Carsten Humlebæk because he knows his family is enjoying their Sevillian life.

“Living in Spain has given us unique opportunities as a family and individually. It’s also given us more time. When we lived on Møn, we spent a lot time commuting to and from work and driving kids to school, kindergarten and their sports activities. Living in the heart of Seville, everything is nearby, which is much more child and family friendly,” says Carsten Humlebæk and explains how everything in Spain is moves at a slower pace.

Carsten loves to take a stroll in one of the many parks of Seville. You can see which ones he recommends in the fact box below. (Photo: Private)

The kids start school 09:30 in the morning and only have a 500-meter walk home. When Friday arrives, the family spends the warm afternoons at the large Alameda Square, where the kids meet with friends, while Carsten Humlebæk and Kristine Birkedal enjoy a cold drink.

Never leaving Spain

Even though the Spanish adventure ends in about a year, the family will not leave for good. Seville has made a huge impact on the Danish family, and it’s not going to be easy to leave it behind.

“We will always have one foot in Spain. Our relationship with Seville has grown so strong. We plan to sell the house here, and buy something smaller in the city, so we have a base here. That means we can return to visit and the kids will be able to stay in contact with their friends,” he explains and continues:

“Going to Seville in the first place wasn’t just because of my research project. We wanted to change our way of living, which we managed to do. When moving back to Denmark, we want to pursue the same lifestyle with a minimum of transportation and more time together,” Carsten Humlebæk says and smiles.

Carsten Humlebæk’s favorite places in Seville

Alameda de HerculesThis rectangular square dates back to 1574 an is the oldest public park in Europe and hosts markets, concerts and other events. Carsten Humlebæk and his family go there every week to hang out and meet up with friends.

Casa PacoAccording to Carsten Humlebæk, Casa Paco is “the best tapas place” in Seville. It’s located at the Alameda Square.

La TaraceinaThis place is fairly new, but has already become very popular. And it has a direct relation to CBS. The place is owned by former Associate Professor, Lotte Jelsbech Knudsen and her husband, who moved to Seville with their two kids in the summer of 2016. La Taraceina is located at Puerta de la Carne, close to Reales Alcázares.

Reales Alcázares de SevillaIn the center of Seville there’s an old castle. It took more than 500 years to build and is a “fantastic place where you can always find shade in the gardens, which are full of beautiful flowers and birds.”

Parque de María LuisaThis park was created in 1929 in connection with the Ibero-American Exposition, which can be compared to the World Expo. It is home to a number of monumental buildings and statues, which are “absolutely divine”.

Jardines del GuadalquivirA somewhat more abandoned park from the World Exhibition in 1992. It lies on the shores of the river, Guadalquivir, close to the city center. Since it is not a tourist attraction it is always a nice and quiet place where you can find shade, lie on the grass, or walk your dog.

Bike routes in SevilleCompared to Copenhagen, most European cities don’t have much of a bike infrastructure. But, according to the magazine Wired’s raking, Seville is on of the top ten ‘Most bike-friendly cities in the world’. Carsten recommends exploring Seville by bike to experience the low-pace city life.

Centro Andaluz de Arte ContemporáneoOn rainy days, Carsten Humlebæk encourages you to go and have a look at some contemporary art at Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo. The museum inhabits what was once an old monastery and is surrounded by a lovely orange and olive grove. “This is an oasis in the middle of the city with a lovely café that also hosts concerts and jam sessions.”